Neo@Ogilvy forms JV with Smile Group; Sanjay Ramakrishnan named Country Head

The JV will also set up a Global Media Delivery Hub to service Neo@Ogilvy's Global Media Operations. Ramakrishnan moves from Vizury where he was GM for India, South-East Asia and MENA

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Mumbai | November 13, 2013

Sanjay Ramakrishnan

Ogilvy India today announced a JV between Neo@Ogilvy and the Smile Group to strengthen its performance marketing, eCommerce and mobile offerings. The JV will also set up a Global Media Delivery Hub to service Neo@Ogilvy's Global Media Operations. Sanjay Ramakrishnan has been brought on board as Country Head, Neo@Ogilvy India.

Ramakrishnan has over 15 years' experience across digital media, ecommerce, mobile, telecom and consumer technology. He moves from Vizury where he was General Manager for India, South-East Asia and MENA. Before that he was Sr. VP, Marketing at Myntra. He has also held senior marketing roles at Google, Intel, Geodesic and Worldspace.

While OgilvyOne drives all digital strategy and creative services for clients in India, Neo@Ogilvy's specific focus is on digital media, performance marketing, ecommerce and mobile marketing. Neo@Ogilvy's client roster in India includes IBM, Diageo, British Airways, The Economist and The Which Group, among others.

Piyush Pandey

Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman and Creative Director, Ogilvy South Asia, said, “This JV is one more step ahead in our digital journey. Harish's (Bahl of Smile) experience in digital media and eCommerce will help drive rapid growth in these areas. And Sanjay Ramakrishnan is a fantastic young business leader with the right skills to lead Neo@Ogilvy in India.”

Harish Bahl

Harish Bahl, Chairman, Smile Group, commented, “The vision of the partnership is to be able to offer world class services to local and global clients of Ogilvy and Neo, respectively, using the expertise and experience of Smile in the areas of performance marketing, ecommerce and mobile. Sanjay brings a good blend of e-retail and performance marketing expertise both in internet and mobile, and is best positioned to build a leadership position for Neo India around this business focus, which we believe are the future high growth areas for digital agencies.”

Vikram Menon

Vikram Menon, President & Country Head, OgilvyOne India, added, “We're really excited with the JV with Smile Group. Strategically this fits perfectly into our plans to offer the best capability across digital to our clients. The Neo-Smile JV, with Sanjay at its helm, will do just that, ensuring that Ogilvy is able to deliver the best across digital media, performance marketing, ecommerce and mobile.”

Sanjay Ramakrishnan, President & Country Head, Neo@Ogilvy India, commented, “I am excited to be part of Ogilvy and drive this JV with the Smile Group. The aim is to recast Neo@Ogilvy as one of the most effective digital media companies in the country with a clear focus on performance marketing, mobile and eCommerce. I have been a marketer all my life and I believe there is a gap in the way paid digital media is intergrated with traditional marketing and communication.The goal is to change that through Neo@Ogilvy. End-to-end eCommerce solutions is another unique offering that this JV brings to the table and I'm keen to use the skills I have to drive it.”

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